Look Before You Leap
by Crimson Pooka
Summary: Plot comes from Mara:Daughter of the Nile, with Inu-Yasha cast. Basically Kagome,a slave,becomes a double agent, but she doesn't know which side she's really on, and on top of that, she's falling in love with one of her employers-guess who-Inu-Yasa!
1. Trouble In Not Quite Paradise

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha characters or the story Mara Daughter of the Nile; please don't hurt me!  
  
A/N: Hi everybody, it's me again and I have a new story for you all to read. I really don't have much to say 'cause I'm kinda in a bad mood, so to keep it short, here's the story. Please review, you guys. I know you're out there, and deep down, you want to review. So fallow that little voice in your head me in disguise and review!  
  
"blah-blah" – talking

'oh he's cute!'- thoughts  
  
Chapter 1 – More Trouble In (Not Quite) Paradise oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo  
  
The sea wind swept through his hair, messing up the neat ponytail he had it in. Miroku sighed and pushed it out of his face impatiently, looking anxious. His eyes scanned the dock as if he was searching for someone or waiting for something to happen...  
Because he was waiting for someone: his new passenger who was now 30 minutes late. Miroku couldn't take any more time, because he had cargo to deliver, and he himself had a schedule to follow.  
A hand touched his arm and he turned, hoping to see who he was waiting for, but it was only one of his crew. He bowed and Miroku nodded his head. "Cap'im, the cargo has all been loaded and secured." Miroku nodded. "Good. Tell the rest to get ready. We're about to leave." The man bowed and walked away. Miroku sighed and wondered again where his strange passenger was. "I know, I'll walk once around the ship, and if he's not here when I get back, we'll depart," he said to himself.  
Miroku started along the deck, thinking. His passenger was more than strange. He was unusual. In the beginning he seemed simple enough, with his plain clothes of a commoner and his polite attitude. But there were stranger things about him that Miroku didn't notice until later. Like how he always had his head wrapped in a turban, how his eyes were a strange color of amber and liquid gold. And sometimes Miroku thought that he saw fangs. His name was what really made Miroku pause. 'Sure,' he thought. 'These are feudal times where demons run around everywhere, but to have the name Inu-Yasha?! That's just insane! Unless he **is** a demon...' Miroku shook his head. It didn't matte how weird his name was. More importantly was how Miroku almost committed treason in front of him the other day. Miroku shivered, remembering how close he had come.  
**Flashback**  
Miroku frowned when he saw another huge monument proclaiming Kikyo the rightful Queen of the country, followed by another huge golden temple with statues of Gods flanking the door. Miroku sighed and shook his head at the sight.  
"Something wrong with you?"  
He turned. Inu-Yasha was leaning on the rail next to him. How he got there so quietly Miroku still wondered about. "Oh, I was just wondering how many more temples of gold our fair queen will build before our country dies," he answered calmly, although his fists were balled and his eyes were hard. Inu-Yasha took in all of this without comment, instead saying, "But our queen only wants the people to have a place to worship, and shouldn't a God's temple be beautiful?" "But does every temple have to be covered in gold? And how do scenes of Her Majesty related to Gods?" Miroku countered. Inu-Yasha shrugged casually. "Some say that she is a gift from the Gods unto our country, and others say that she is a God herself. Either one may or may not be a reason why she is there on the temple walls."  
Miroku crossed his arms. "I still don't think her image belongs there. I really don't understand how she became Queen in the first place. Before her, there was a king who was a dog demon, and he had two sons. When he died, the elder, Sesshomaru I think, would have become King, but suddenly Lady Kikyo appeared, and next thing you know, she was Queen Kikyo, Her Royal Majesty! I don't remember the younger brother's name but wonder why he is just sitting where ever he is and not doing anything!"  
Inu-Yasha's eyebrows rose. "So you are against Queen Kikyo?"  
Miroku's mind stopped dead in its tracks and processed what was just said. He gulped and said in a shaky voice, "No, of course I approve of her! I-I don't know what I was saying earlier. Long live Queen Kikyo!!!"  
Inu-Yasha nodded, but there was a gleam in his eyes that scared Miroku. He nodded again, and his face was calm. "Don't worry Captain. The sun is really hot out here, isn't it? It can mess with a fellow's senses. I have complete faith in your declaration to our Queen. I don't at all believe that those were your true words, and that you would try to overthrow her." Miroku nodded shakily, wondering if he was being pulled into a trap. Suddenly, Inu-Yasha smiled, making his face a beautiful sight. Then he turned, and walked down the deck, leaving Miroku, confused and scared about what had just happened.  
**End Flashback  
** Miroku sighed again when he reached his original spot on the deck. From that day on, he had watched Inu-Yasha very closely, thinking more each day that his guest was more than what he appeared to be. This morning, they had docked in the city, and Inu-Yasha had gotten off, saying that he would be back on the ship before it left. Here it was time for them to leave, and he was nowhere in sight. Miroku didn't know if it was better for him to leave, or wait. He decided that he would wait a little longer, but his nerves couldn't take much more suspense. He watched some ladies go by his boat. They winked and giggled at him, but he just glanced at them distractedly. His heart, or something else, just wasn't in it. _WHERE WAS INU-YAHSA?!  
_  
**oxo**  
The girls sat in the corner of the gardens, under one of the huge trees were no one could see her. In her hands was a book, one of her favorites. Her eyes went over each word as she said them to herself.  
  
_Time passed. The sky overhead lightened past dawn into daybreak. He hurried deeper into the trees, fearing lest someone should follow him, try to force him to return...  
_  
"Kagome!"  
The girl sighed and closed the book slowly. She got up and walked through the garden to the kitchen door, where a woman was waiting for her with hands on her hips. "Kagome, get in here! There's plenty of work to be done, which leaves no time for reading! If the master even catches you with one of his books, you'd be in more trouble than you could imagine. It will happen soon enough if you don't go wash the floor!"  
Kagome rolled her eyes at the woman as she put the book on the shelf with the others. "I'm going, so there's no need to worry," she answered glumly and went to get a bucket. She was a slave whose master was mean and evil, and would beat his slaves without a second thought if he felt like it. "One day," she muttered to herself as she filled the bucket with water at the well. "One day, I'll be free! Free from that man, and I'll have a life. I know that I wasn't born a slave! That's just impossible!" Kagome's thoughts went back to the book she had been reading. She thought about how the part was so interesting when she had to put it back. 'What does the master need it for?' she thought sullenly. 'He can't read to save his life! And yet he has a whole bookcase full of untouched books, just for show.' She paused in her thoughts. 'But I'm not saying he's stupid, he's just...... Okay maybe I am saying he's stupid.' Kagome grinned. 'But only when it comes to reading books. He isn't stupid when it comes to selling slaves for the right price, or splitting up a family,' she thought bitterly.  
Walking back to the house with the bucket of water, she passed a huge wall that surrounded the house. Kagome slowed down and looked at it. There were huge chunks of stone missing. Just enough to create footholds to climb up. Kagome looked at it pensively.  
'On one hand, if I run away, and I get back before the master does, he'll never know I was gone. But my chores won't be finished, so I'll get in trouble.' Kagome frowned. She didn't like the thought of getting in trouble. 'On the other hand, if I get back after he does, I'll get in trouble for running away and not doing my chores.' Her frown deepened. 'On the other **other** hand, I could run away and never return, so I won't get in trouble. But I'll starve to death if I don't get a job. So there's no way out of trouble, unless I just stay here and do my chores.' With that painful thought, Kagome turned away from the wall and reached for the bucket she had left on the ground. "YEAH RIGHT!!!" she shouted and ran to the wall.  
'Oh well, if I get in trouble, at lest I have a moment of being free!' She pulled herself up the edge of the wall and looked at the outside world, the village square, the river glistening in the sun. Then she jumped to the ground and ran towards the village without a backwards glance. Her last thought was: "Next time I make a decision that involves so many 'other hands', I have to hire someone to hold them, since I only have two!"

A/N: Okay that was it! My first chappie of this story! Pease review you guys! Remember to listen to the voice! Listen to the voice!!! Bai!


	2. Out Of The Pan And Into The Fire!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, Mara Daughter of the Nile, or my cat for that matter. It's being rented to me by my neighbors: 5 bucks a day. So it's really their cat. That sucks.

A/N: **I'm in a really strange mood, if you couldn't tell from the oddball disclaimer that I have. I have the strangest urge for ice-cream, but you don't care about that, you're only here for the story. Or maybe you're not here for the story at all. Maybe you just accidentally clicked my page, and you're just reading this cause you have nothing better to do. Or maybe you do. WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE HERE?!...... Anyway, if you indeed are here to read my chappie, then go ahead. If you're not...........go buy some ice-cream. Bring me some, too!** told ya I was in a strange mood : )

"blah-blah"- words

'I need a pedicure...'- thoughts

Chapter 2 – Out Of The Pan (and into the fire!)

Inu-Yasha leaned on the side of a wall that was darkened by a building, casting his whole face in shadows. He has studied the village square for quite a while, especially the public well and the people around it. Villagers walking by would have hardly seen him since his clothes were common and he was as stiff as stone, except for his eyes.

A villager not noticing was exactly what Inu-Yasha wanted. If people saw him standing there, not doing anything but watching others, they would get suspicious. 'And suspiciousness is very bad,' he thought grimly.

He watched, bored, as a lord came through on his horse followed by guards and other important people. One of the body guards shoved a poor man and a young girl out of the way to get off of his horse in front of the inn. The lord went inside, leaving the guards outside to watch the horses. The girl who was shoved aside into the dirt frowned up at the guard, then a wicked smile crossed her face and she disappeared for a second.

Inu-Yasha tried not to laugh as she came back into view with a long piece of leather. She whacked the horse's rump with the leather, causing it to buck wildly, hitting its master in the butt and knocking him into the mud. The other guards around him started to laugh. When the guard turned to see what had caused the horse to kick him, he saw no one, but found a piece of leather on the ground. The guard picked up the leather and turned to his friends angrily, but they were busy looking somewhere else, and commenting on the weather.

Inu-Yasha snickered. He wondered where the girl went, but she faded from his mind when he remembered what he was there for. He continued to study the crowd, and saw the girl a few minutes later walking down the street when suddenly a bread boy came rushing down an alley and ran into her. It was his fault, but she helped pick them up, and smiled at him. This distracted the boy so much that he didn't see the few pastries that slipped into the girl's dress. When the boy shyly offered her a pastry which she took with a look of gratitude on her face, Inu-Yasha couldn't take it and burst into laughter. This girl was too much for him.

The bread boy walked away, and the girl started nibbling on a pastry as she walked through the crowd. Inu-Yasha thoughtfully watched her make her way to a bench, where she sat down and surveyed the area while eating. She was unusual, because he would have mistaken her for Kikyo in the beginning if she was properly dressed. A closer look showed she had smoky blue eyes, almost black, which was strange. She was the same size as Kikyo, but her hair was blue-black and wavy, and she had a certain grace that he hadn't seen before. His attention was caught by the signal that he was waiting for.

A slave dressed in blue livery dipped a jar in the well, once, twice, a pause, and a third time. He mentally cheered as he stood from the wall and followed the slave down the street. He kept a space between them so that no one knew he was following someone, but kept the man in sight. The slave went through a doorway once they had gone along many streets, and Inu-Yasha waited to enter. The street had a few people walking along it, but the ones that caught his eyes shocked him.

The same girl he had repeatedly seen in the village was being pulled along by a chubby, evil-looking man with a frown on his face. He jerked her along, sometimes announcing that she would get it when they got home. The girl looked calm enough, but when Inu-Yasha saw her eyes, they were filled with anger. He sadly realized that she was a slave, and that the evil man was her master, and that she would probably be punished severely when they got home. He shook his head sadly at how cruel the world could be, but turned quickly away as a tall man covered in black followed the two silently, and turned the corner after them.

The girl once again left Inu-Yasha's mind. The street was clear, so he went swiftly into the doorway that the slave had gone through minutes before.

ooo

When Kagome and her master reached the entrance to the house, he shoved her inside and grabbed a stick from the corner of the porch that he used to whip slaves with. He fingered the edge of the wood, and smiled maliciously.

"You have never run away before, my pretty little Kagome," he said taking a step towards her. She didn't back away, but watched him warily. "Very pretty," he commented, eyeing her body. "I knew it would be wise to buy you when I first saw you. It would be such a shame to waste your beauty with a beating." He licked his lips and smiled again. "So I'm willing to make a deal. Instead of getting whipped today, you can spend a few nights with me to make up for your misbehavior." He ran a hand slowly down her side, caressing her hip, her butt, and Kagome fought not to throw up on him.

"So what do you say, hmm? If you spend some nights with me, you'll be happier than you thought you'd be. So what say you?" Kagome was silent before answering, and the way her eyes gleamed made him sure that he had her. He was badly shocked at her answer and the vehemence with which she said it.

"There's no chance in hell that I would **ever** sexually have anything to do with you! I'd rather marry a pig than even touch you!" she said disgustedly, and she was right to be disgusted. She was the same height as him, but he was bald, he had a smashed nose, and tiny eyes, and we won't even go into the fat that covered his body.

His face turned red, and he slapped her, sending her back two steps. "You impudent girl! Fine! Scorn my offer if you want, but you're the one suffering, not me!" She glared at him. "No! Don't look at me like that! It's your fault for running away in the first place!" He gripped the special necklace he had bought right after he got her, because her eyes were so strange. Kagome grinned, and stared at him, then spit at his feet. This caused him to go into a rage, mercilessly hitting her as hard as he could, but she didn't cry out.

Neither of them realized that the man from the alley was watching the whole thing until he stepped between Kagome and her master.

"Enough of this," he said, his voice dark like his black clothes. "I want to buy this slave from you. How much do you want?" The fat man thought for a second. "This slave is very valuable, since she is different from all the others. She is strong, quick, smart, she can read and write, and she speaks Chinese fluently as well as our own language, so I would have to say that she's pretty expensive." The master smiled. The stranger watched for a second, then reached in his pocket and pulled out a fat coin purse which he tossed at the master's feet. "Come," he said to Kagome and walked away, not looking to see if she followed. She hurried to keep up, since she didn't want her old master to change his mind. 'Yes! I'm finally free of that pig! No longer will I have to suffer that man again! I just hope my new master is better,' she thought.

He was tall, and that was all she could tell about him. She could see nothing else, not even his eyes. They walked in silence until they reached the same inn in the village where she had tricked the guard. They went in and up the stairs to a private room. Once the man had locked the door, he took off his coat and Kagome gasped. He was wearing very expensive clothes, and his hair was very long, black and curly. The only thing that bothered her was his eyes. Lined with blue eye shadow, his eyes were extremely dark, darker than black, if that was possible. They pulled her gaze to them like a black hole and made her want to look away at the same time. [AN: Guess who!!]

He motioned for her to sit down, and sat across from her. "What is your name?" he asked calmly. "Kagome, sir," she answered, watching him. He didn't seem mean, but he didn't seem nice either. "Kagome. I am your new master. I saw you in the square earlier. You are exactly who I have been looking for. Your old master mentioned you speak Chinese. I hope you know more than a few phrases." She nodded. "I can hold a conversation with anyone, sir." He nodded. "I appreciate your respect, showing you do think, but you don't have to say 'sir' every time you talk to me." "Okay," she answered.

"Okay. I bought you for a reason, but your job is so dangerous that you have a choice. You can accept it, or if you don't want it, I will just sell you to someone else." He paused, looking for a second.

"If you say yes, you will have many tasks. But, if you obey me, and if you are successful on your jobs, I will free you." Her breath caught in her throat. To be free...she would do anything for that to be real. "Yes! I'll do whatever you want!" she announced forcefully. He smirked. "Fine. Remember this: once you agree, you can not go back. You will know too much to go back to regular life." Kagome nodded.

"All right. Here is what you will do. You are special, because you could pass to be a well born girl, once you get cleaned up. You will find the woman, Misuka, in Nagoya and give her this jewel." He handed her a blue triangle. "She will arrange things for your clothes and hair. Then you will board a ship with a princess that will marry 'Prince Sesshomaru' and go with them to Tokyo. You will be her interpreter, since she only speaks Chinese. Sesshomaru does speak Chinese, but he won't want to talk directly to her, so you will be her translator, and you will do something else." He stopped, and Kagome had a feeling that what he said next would be the reason why her job was so dangerous.

"Basically," he continued calmly, which frightened her, "you will be a spy. I want you to watch who Sesshomaru comes into contact with. Listen to what he says to people. Someone in there works for him, giving him messages, and getting messages out. I want to know who it is. You will pretend to be a dead priest's daughter, if anyone asks. One more thing," he added.

"I suggest you listen to these next words and brand them into your memory." Kagome nodded and leaned closer. "If, by any chance, **anyone** should find out that you are not what you seem, you will die instantly." She leaned back slowly. She knew that would come up sooner or later, but it still shocked her all the same.

He smiled viciously at her expression. "Well that's all I had to tell you," he said cheerfully [as cheerful as Naraku can be]. "Here's your money for your ship from Sakai to Nagoya. Sakai isn't that far from here, so you can walk." Kagome's eyes widened. '_Walk from here (Kyoto) to Sakai?!_ That might take me a week!' she frowned slightly as she reached to take the money from his hand but he jerked it back at the last minute. "If you and this money disappear between here and Sakai, there will be severe consequences." She just looked at him until he slowly opened his hand again.

He had already threatened her twice as if it was an everyday thing. 'He must be really powerful if he can threaten with a clean conscience,' she thought. 'Or really _evil_ .' Kagome didn't know how close that second thought was to the truth as she moved to the door. "Don't make me regret buying you," he said softly. She paused for a second, before opening the door and walking out. 'Oh great,' she thought as she started in the direction that she thought Sakai was in. '_Out of the pan and into the fire!_'

**Well, that's another chappie of Look Before You Leap that's done! Took me forever and a day, but I finished it!! Time to party and rest my poor hands - Till next time- Bai! ; )**


	3. Quiet Before The Storm

Disclaimer: I don't Inu-Yasha, or Mara Daughter of the Nile... man, life is cruel...

**A/N: Howdy folks! I know that it's been forever since I last updated, but there was school, and friends, and......um......a............I was busy for cryin' out loud! Stop pressuring me!...now that I got that off my chest (guilty conscience talking) 00 on with the show!**

Quiet Before the Storm

The slave was waiting just inside the door for him when Inu-Yasha walked in. "This way, Master Inu-Yasha," he said meekly and led him down the hallway. "You know, you don't have to call me master, Mio." The slave smiled shyly. "I know, Master, but it's always polite to say it." Inu-Yasha smiled, but it disappeared when he got to the end of thee hallway. "Don't worry, Master," Mio whispered. "He always says yes in the end." With that he opened the door and ushered Inu-Yasha in before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Inu-Yasha tried to act calm, as if he visited this man all the time just to say 'hi'. The man in question was studying him closely, while petting a huge fat cow that was lying next to him.

"Did anyone see you?" the old man asked. Inu- Yasha was to reply indignantly, but the old man stopped him and laughed. "Yes, yes. I know you would never let anyone catch you. And your disguise is perfect. One would never guess that the previous King's son was under that."

Out of habit, Inu-Yasha's eyes quickly scanned the area to see if anyone was around. The older man saw the inspection and frowned. "What, you think someone's overhearing us, boy?" he asked sternly. Inu-Yasha sighed and prepared himself for a lecture. "I'll have you know, young man, that I pride myself on having the only house in the neighborhood that is sound-proof, fire-proof, **breech**-proof...If I were you, I would be thankful that I was in such a house and asking treasonous favors, ain't that right, Moo-moo?" He looked at his cow, who nodded and glared at Inu-Yasha. "I agree wholeheartedly, Master," Moo-Moo said. Inu-Yasha glared right back then went back to the man.

"Let's cut the crap, old man. Are you gonna help me or not?" he asked sharply. The old man shook his head sadly. "Inu-Yasha, when will you learn that the key to getting people to help you has nothing to do with yelling at and/or insulting them? And I do have a name, you know." Moo-moo shook his head also. "Still rude as ever," it commented. Inu-Yasha glared at it again before continuing. "Okay, let's try again. Master Totosai, have you thought on my request to help overthrow Queen Kikyo?"

Totosai nodded and sighed. Suddenly he looked weary and old, s if he was bearing a great weight on his shoulders. Although he was 62, no one would have guessed from the way that he acted. Now, though, the wrinkles could be seen on his face, and the grey hair stood out more than the black.

"Inu-Yasha, I'm old and tired. I have fought many battles for this country, led many wars, and for what? Nothing changes afterwards. The kings and queens are still what they used to be: **selfish and greedy**. How do I know that what you're asking will be better for this land? How do you know that your king will be different from the others?"

Inu-Yasha fiddled with his fingers under the gaze of the old man. "I just have a feeling deep inside me that Sesshomaru will be exactly what this country needs. I don't know how I know, I just... do."

Totosai sighed. "Inu-Yasha, let me tell you something. Even if I didn't have this resentment towards this country's monarchs, I'm still not as young as I used to be. I need my cow just to carry me around! Even to go up the stairs! 'Ain't that right, Moo-Moo?"

Moo-Moo nodded grumpily and muttered, "Yeah, and you're not getting any lighter, gramps. Been eatin' too many pastries, hmmm?"

Totosai scowled at the cow lying at his feet. "Well, you're no cream puff yourself, dearie!"

The cow gasped indignantly. "Well excuse me for living! I'm a cow for cryin' out loud! I'm supposed to be large! But you're not the one having to lift someone up all day!"

"Oh, don't try to ease your way out of this one! I see you sneaking pastries too, and don't think it doesn't show!"

"I'm not fat: I'm just big-boned! I inherited it from my mother's side of the family!" Moo-Moo said, and turned its head daintily.

Totosai snorted. "Yeah, I'll believe that one when you go on the Atkins' Diet!" he said dryly.

"What?! How **dare** you, sir? What are you trying to say? Okay, so I'm a little large for my age group! So sue me! No one said that eating and **enjoying** your food was a crime! A body can't even sample anything around here without being called **obese**!"

Inu-Yasha tried not to chuckle as he watched the two bicker, and coughed to get their attention, which was only received for a second.

"So did you were going to say that you would help me, Totosai?"

"What? You're the one who started it by saying – sure, okay Inu-Yasha – saying that **I** was the one who was eating too much, and now you get insulted when I merely turned the tables on you! 'don't dish it if you can't take it' is what you always tell me, so take your own advice this time!"

They both were red in the face now from shouting at each other.

"How could you use my own advice against me?! I thought I could trust you! I thought you were my friend!" Moo-Moo was about to cry.

"What does trust have to do with it?! I'm still your friend, I'm just tellin' it to ya like it is..."

Their voices faded away as Inu-Yasha walked further down the hallway, pausing to give the thumbs-up sign to Mio who grinned in response, before walking out of the door and into the street.

Things were going along rather well, if he did say so himself.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

**A/N: Well, another chapter has come and gone, and I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I tried really hard to finish this. You all should be proud of me, since I am writing this when I should very well be working on this _humongous_ English paper. See? That shows how much I care about you guys! So I will try to update soon, but since I have a huge work load in school, don't expect any promises except that I will do my best! Bai! **


	4. Who Say's Girls Can't Fight!

Disclaimer & A/N: I don't own Inu-Yasha, Mara DOTN, or any other thing that is owned by someone else. I'm sad after that statement. But ONE DAY!!!! ONE DAY I SHALL OWN INU-YASHA!!!!! ANDTHEN, THE WORLD!!!

Tough People will a wheeler: ok, Pooka, calm down and get into this nice jacket that has buckles on it that was designed to restrain-WE MEAN…um…CONTAIN your beautiful form!!!

C.P.: YOU FOOLS!! I know what you nitwits are up to! You think that you can get me into that straight-jacket so that you can wheel me away as fast as you can in that wheelie-thingy to the nearest Insaniiariun!!! You shall not fool me, you fools!!!

Tough People: Um….we have PUDDING!!! THE CHOCOLATE KIND WITH THE LITTLE MARSHMALLOWS IN IT THAT YOU LIKE!!!1

C.P.: gasp you mean the kind that costs like 15 bucks for a measly little square container?! The kind that I'm not allowed to have because it acts like a tranquilizer when it's in my body?!

Tough People: shifty-eyed…yeah, THAT one that you are totally obsessed with and have been known to attack old ladies in a fight for the last box at the local market…

C.P.: …hmm….this situation is practically screaming BRIBERY and DANGER...but the marshmallow-y chocolate goodness is calling me…must resist…can't resist…DAMN YOU, WEAKNESS! GIVE ME THAT PUDDING, FAT BOY!!!! (launches onto the tough people and snatches the pudding, then proceeds to swallow the pudding in its raw, POWDER form)

The stupider of the two Tough People: …Ya know, that might have tasted better if you had let us make it for you… we even brought a little portable stove to mix it in! And I was SO looking forward to playing house!

C.P.: …do I look like I CARE?! Now! snaps fingers as haughtily as she can with a tranquilizer in her system Wheel me away! Vamoose! waves drunkenly to audience Bye, peoples! Enjoy the vext-mext -oh whatever- ENJOY!!!

_Italicized_- thoughts

Chapter 4 – Who Says Girls Can't Fight?!

* * *

The river swayed gently, shimmering as if silver powder had been thrown into it. The day was calm with a slight breeze, but otherwise it was comfortably warm. "_A perfect day,_" Kagome thought idly. She was currently resting on a deck chair, watching the passing boats. "_Ahh…life is good,_" she continued. "_The sun is shining, the ship is quiet, all in all everything's as good as it can get_." She looked around. The deck was empty except for a few crew members checking this, or securing that.

It was the perfect moment for a light nap.

Kagome slowly eased herself into a comfortable position and let her eyes flutter closed to the sound of the water…she would sleep just for a little while…

* * *

Inu-Yasha reached the ship quickly, since he was done with all of his business. When he reached the steps, a crew member saw him and called for Miroku. He came running with a huge plank held like a bat. He looked around sleepily.

"…Huh?...Da…Wha happened?..."he mumbled incoherently. It was obvious that he had just woken up. Inu-Yasha grinned.

"NOTHING happened, Miroku."

Miroku looked confused. "Then…why was I called?" Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. "Because now that I'm here, we can GO, smart one."

"Miroku looked at him as if he had just realized he was there. Then he walked over to a bucket of water that was resting on the rail, and proceeded to pour it over his head.

"That's better. Right after I wake up I don't make much sense." Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow. "So I saw," he said wryly.

Miroku looked as if he was trying to remember something. "Oh Yeah! We have another passenger, so you're not the only one anymore." Inu-Yasha looked interested. "Where?" Miroku thought for a moment. "Was on the deck the last I saw."

Inu-Yasha nodded and started walking down the deck. He wondered who the person was. "_Maybe it's one of the queen's spies…_"

* * *

Inu-Yasha rounded a corner and saw a body lying on a lawn chair. "_This must be him_," he thought.

As he got closer though, he actually saw that it wasn't "him" at all, but "HER".

But wait a minute. Something about this girl looked familiar. The bluish black hair, the raggedly clothes that somehow (don't ask exactly how) seemed stylish…that defiant face…

When Inu-Yasha realized who she was he almost gasped. "_This is like the fourth time I've seen her in one day! Wait a minute…is she a stalker?! Maybe she isn't a slave, but just in disguise…Maybe I should grow a beard or something…!_" Inu-Yasha stopped his thoughts when he realized that she was awake…and staring at him.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked nervously. "I could ask the same thing of you," he answered amusedly. Her next question shocked him to silence. "…Are you a stalker?!" she asked him. He really didn't know how to answer that. He couldn't just tell her that he had seen her while going about his secret business.

"What makes you think that?" he asked cautiously. "Well, you're strange. And you're eyes are weird. And you're still staring at me!" He snorted. "Well, you're no classic beauty yourself, either!" he said sharply. Next thing he knew, his cheek was stinging badly and he was seeing stars. He gaped at her. She had jumped out of her chair and her hand was still in its final stage after the slap.

His hand went shakily to his face, and he stared at her in shock. "You…you HIT me…" he stuttered. "You deserved it!" she yelled. "How dare you say that to a lady?! Even if it's true, you STILL don't say that! EVER!" He continued to stare at her unblinkingly, his hand still on his face. "Y-you HIT me!" he repeated with more emphasis on the word "hit".

Suddenly his eyes started to mist up, and his bottom lip trembled. He sniffed, and she suddenly forgot her anger and stooped down to where he kneeled covering his face. She held his face and tried to "shush" him. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't-I didn't mean it! I SWEAR! Please don't cry!" She said frantically. She started to panic when he ignored her and cried harder. She looked around wildly until she saw something that might help. "Um…do you want a lollipop?! Um…how about this nice squeaky toy?! NO?!...a blankie in your favorite color?!" Inu-Yasha grabbed the blankie (which was red of course) and held it to his face, but kept crying. Kagome groaned and banged her head on the floor.

* * *

Now, Miroku just happened to be walking down the deck to see how the two were getting along, when he, surprised, came upon this dramatic scene. He stopped mid-step, dumbfounded by what he was seeing.

Suddenly he saw Inu-Yasha glance up at him and give wink that told all, and he knew what was going on which caused the laughter to just bubble up. He really did try to keep it in, but we all know that whenever you try to keep it in, it always comes out. In Miroku's case, he held it until he couldn't hold it anymore, and then it just came out.

First it was a tiny giggle (if you can imagine Miroku giggling). Then it was a chuckle. Then it evolved into a guffaw. Suddenly it was all out tear-jerking, knee-slapping, stomach-clenching laughter. It was like a damn breaking before a huge river. A river that turned trees into matchsticks, created new bodies of water, and overall just drenched everything.

Now you all also have probably known that when laughter strikes, it doesn't stop until it has spread to everyone in the area. It is best described as contagious. It spreads like a virus. This also is exactly what happened in this situation.

Miroku was at this moment laughing so hard that he was on his knees. Kagome stopped and looked at Miroku weirdly. "What's so funny?" she asked sharply. She looked back at Inu-Yasha and she understood completely.

Inu-Yasha was trying his hardest to keep a straight face, but his mouth would quirk every second, and he pretended to sneeze repeatedly to mask the chuckles that were coming from him. But sooner or later every person must give in to the laughter, and Inu-Yasha broke down.

We applaud him for his effort, though.

He then laughed as if he had seen the funniest thing in the world, as if he had just heard the funniest joke. He pointed at her while he covered his face with his other hand, all pain and crying forgotten. His laughs echoed across the water, until other boat keepers were looking around trying to find the source of the insane sound.

* * *

And on this day, it was remembered by all who were there that Kagome was made a fool, in front of anyone who wanted to see.

* * *

It was also remembered that on this day, Kagome went into a rage so bad that people claimed that they saw steam come out of her ears.

* * *

"You JERK! I'll give you something to laugh at!" she yelled and charged him. To Inu-Yasha, she suddenly had the strength of 3 men as her fist connected with his stomach to knock the wind out of him. He crumbled to the ground clutching his stomach where impact had been, and he sure as heck wasn't laughing then. Kagome then stormed over to Miroku who had started to cringe when she looked at him. Then with an animalistic growl that would have terrified the wildest beast, she hoisted him up and, in one graceful movement, threw him overboard.

She turned around and she smirked when she heard Miroku's body hit the water. "**That**," she said, and emphasized it by booting Inu-Yasha, "is what happens when people try to make a fool out of me."

As she walked away, Inu-Yasha swore he heard her mutter something right before he accepted the gift of blesséd unconsciousness:

"This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope that you guys liked my new chapter, since it caused much pain (and not just on my part) to write! I'm on Thankxgiving Break right now, so hopefully I'll have the resolution to start (if not finish) the next chapter…but the pull of going on a manga-spree at the nearest Borders is very tempting…anywayz, guys, PLEASE REVIEW (if you value your sanity), since I would really appreciate it if you do! You people who just read and don't contribute a review (and you know who youz are, I'm not naming no names) this is a joint relationship here! You have to give something if you want something! And I require a review (which isn't that much to ask for, I might add), for all of the sweat and creative labor that goes into writing. All that I'm asking for is one itty-bitty-teeny-weenie-miniscule review! I understand that some of you have busy schedules, but I'm not asking for a two page report on the literary devices and the overall tone of the story! I will gladly accept a five-word message, even if you thought that it ABSOLUTELY SUCKED, and was SO BAD that it doesn't even deserve the title of fanfiction, I will accept it. I won't be happy about if, mind you, but beggars can't be choosers. The following is an example of some reviews that you could take a few seconds to write. You could even copy-and-paste it for all that I care! Wait a minute. I take that back: I do care a little if you decided to copy-and-paste the following example reviews, simply because I want to know what YOU think, not what I told you would be okay to write. As a matter of fact, just ignore the past four sentences.

Take Two:

You guys, I don't care what you write, just as long as you make the slightest attempt to communicate with me about the story. You can write whatever you feel like writing, be it raves, flames, or even rambling, like the last 20-or-so lines, and that is the honest-ta-Gravy truth.

…but I was serious about you slacker readers who don't donate to the environment. But I shall stop rambling now, since you guys are probably asleep already. I need to go buy a ferret, so I'll see ya'll later! Bai!

P.S. You guys probably saw all of those typos in the Author's Note up a ways, and I'm just letting ya know that those were intentional. Okay.

P.S.S. I'm sorry you guys that I was rambling earlier for the whole time, but it's 9:26 p.m., which is late for me, and I haven't had my tea which has caffeine in it. Please forgive me. TT

P.P.S.S. …Nah, just kidding, I won't add any more to this already long A/N. Just Kidding!


	5. I Only Wanted A Cup Of Water!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-chan. Or Mara, Daugther of the Nile. No more to be said.

A/N: Hello everybody, I'm back, after such a long time! I know that you all are upset and are probably threatening me with your eating utensils but let me say a few things before you spear me! 1.) I have finally updated! That should be enough to get you to calm down. 2.) I am aready starting on the next chapter, which should relieve any remaining tension that you have. 3.) You can't spear me through your computer, so HA! (sorry, had to get that out ;) And now, for the next chappie which I know that you are all so eager to read!

* * *

Chapter 5 - I Only Wanted A Cup Of Water!

* * *

Kagome leaned on the edge of the rail of the ship, glaring and muttering to herself. It was two days after the little episode with Inu-Yasha and Miroku, and she hadn't seen either of them since. She shook her head and continued to glare.

The poor river was receiving the end of her anger, and it wasn't its fault. _It_ couldn't help it if Miroku had been helped out of the water, or that Inu-Yasha had survived what was now infamously known as her Death Punch.

If Kagome had it _her_ way, Miroku would have **a.) **drowned right in front of her without her help, or **b.) **crawled onto the deck and groveled at her feet for her forgiveness. But **NO**, some **idiot** had to offer a helping hand to Miroku, who ended up **back** on the boat as if nothing had happened, and then proceeded to _ignore_ her as if she hadn't just tossed him off of the boat.

Inu-Yasha was a whole different matter that just made her more irritated. Kagome had stalked off, the essence of righteous justice, when low and behold, Inu-Yasha just stood up as if nothing had happened, and **walked** **away**! Come **ON**! What was the **DEAL**! Was she going crazy or something! Had she merely imagined that she had punched the life out of Inu-Yasha? or thrown Miroku into the bay?...She _knew_ that she wasn't going crazy, so what the beep was going on! (no curse words that strong allowed on public viewingsJ) Kagome knew that she was really pissed, because she didn't use words that strong in her mind on a daily basis!

Then, speaking of the devil himself, Inu-Yasha was right next her, leaning on the rail. She almost laughed bitterly at his audacity. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, watching as she glared out at everything and nothing, noted how she almost unconsciously inched away from him. He in turn, inched closer to her, to which she replied by inching away again. He then inched closer to her. And so on they went, all around the deck, inching and inching, till they were back were they started.

Kagome then mustered her anger and shouted, "How much does it take for you to get the hint! I don't want to breathe next to you, stand next to you, or even be on the same boat as you, but I have to, so I'll deal with that. But anything closer than that and you will get another knuckle sandwich, Bub!" Inu-Yasha jumped back with his hands raised in surrender. "Wait! Just hear me out! Please!" He had a plan, she knew it, since he wouldn't agree to talk to her unless he wanted something.

"I must admit that I was rather rude the day before-" she snorted, but he continued, "and I'm here to say that I'm sorry. We got off on the wrong foot, that day, so let us start over." He held out his hand. "My name is Inu-Yasha. How do you do?" She looked at his hand suspiciously, but then sighed and shook it, saying, "My name is Kagome. I'm fine, thank you."

Then they enjoyed themselves as well as they could, and they talked about all kinds of things. Kagome was puzzled that for a scribe Inu-Yasha was rather smart, which was highly unusual. When questioned about his education, he looked at her sharply and said that he had been trained by his master, then changed the subject. Yes, he was very curious, indeed. Inu-Yasha realized that this was unusual also. "_Uh-oh. I think that she's suspicious of me…I better watch what I say from now on…_" And after that, they only talked about things that they obviously both knew about, which made the conversation very boring and awkward.

The next day, Inu-Yasha and Kagome were sitting by the rail having some tea, when Miroku came up and sat next to them.

Inu-Yasha suddenly got a gleam in his eyes, as he watched the captain fidget nervously. Kagome knew that she would be ignored until the end of the conversation when Inu-Yasha started talking.

"Captain, I find it rather interesting that you were here on the river at this time of year. There aren't a lot of other ships out, which makes you stand out quite a bit," Inu-Yasha mentioned smoothly. Miroku's eyes darted to him and looked away. "Well, the Queen wanted a few ships that would go to the European countries and get some more expensive things for her new summer palace. I just came back from one of her errands when you two came aboard," he said uneasily. "Was…**gold**, maybe, one of the things that she wanted you to get?" Miroku looked deathly pale. "Y-Yes, that was one of the things…" Miroku could tell where this was going. "Do you suppose the gold is for more of her temples? What do you think of her use of the country's treasury?" Inu-Yasha questioned, all too innocently. Miroku looked worse, if that was even possible. "It's not my place to judge the Queen's decisions! I am but her humble servant!" He was starting to look frantic, like he wanted to run away from the conversation. But Inu-Yasha continued on, ruthlessly. "Oh really? I seem to remember that you said something different, less than a week ago…Hmm…now what did you say again? Oh! I remember. You said something along the lines of-"

Miroku stood up abruptly. "Inu-Yasha, if I may speak to you, in private in my rooms when you can find time?" He nodded stiffly to Kagome and walked quickly away. Inu-Yasha grinned triumphantly and stood up. "Well, I had better go see what the Captain wants to tell me…" He knew exactly what Miroku wanted to say, if his expression meant anything at all. He looked like a cat that had just gotten into the cream. "If you'll excuse me, Miss…" he let the sentence trail off as he walked away. Kagome watched him until he went around the corner and sighed. Something fishy was definitely going on around here, but she ignored them in favor of the reason "it's none of my business, and has nothing to do with me, so I don't care."

But after a few minutes, she was getting curious, and she was thirsty. The water dispenser just happened to be in that area, so she decided that she would go get some water, make sure that no one was getting beat up, and then return to her seat. She got up, and walked slowly around the corner, enjoying the scenery when she ran into something that grabbed her. "I knew that you would come investigate sooner or later," Inu-Yasha said in her ear. She ripped her arm out of his grasp and glared at him. "For your information, I just came to get some water because I was thirsty. Are you happy now? I wasn't coming to spy on you!" She tossed her head and ignored him as she got a cup. Suddenly she was grabbed again and her water went flying out of her hand. "Listen, you little…"he looked her up and down as if measuring her, "_street rat_," he snarled. "I know who you work for, and I won't hesitate to tell him if you don't cooperate." She immediately stiffened. "Now come along, into the Captain's room." He dragged her through the door and slammed it. She sat down shakily on the stool in the corner.

Miroku jumped at their entry, and frowned. "What is **she** doing here! Is she in it too?" Inu-Yasha smirked. "She is about to be. Kagome, again I failed to introduce myself correctly. The third try's a charm." He straightened up. "Do remember the ruler before Kikyo?" She nodded, and he continued.

"That ruler had two sons. One was Sesshomaru…" he paused as if thinking out his next move. "And the other…was Inu-Yasha. Me, to be precise." He didn't let her say anything, and continued. "Now that you know, you will understand what I'm about to say.

Kikyo isn't the rightful ruler. My father told me directly, that Sesshomaru would rule after he died. It is in his will. Kikyo has the will hidden. When my father died, Kikyo claimed that he left the kingdom to her, and since the will was supposedly 'lost', no one could prove her wrong. It also helped that she had a lot of strong supporters from the court. These were people she had manipulated and blackmailed into following her. She seems to have forgotten that the king was my father, and that Sesshomaru is my brother."

Kagome couldn't wait any longer. "So let me guess. We, along with the King's secret supporters, are going to free His Majesty and put him on the throne as the rightful ruler." Inu-Yasha looked surprised at her summary. "…Exactly. Kagome, you will have a special part in this plan. You will get my messages to Sesshomaru. Kikyo has set up a marriage for him with a foreign princess from China. She isn't really from China, but no one else will know. You will be her translator for the king, and while you are there, you will give him my messages."

Miroku looked puzzled. "But I still don't understand why Kagome has to be a part of it."

Inu-Yasha replied, "She can speak Chinese. I heard her muttering curses when she was shoved out of the way by a guard in the city. She will obediently participate, or I will report her to her master." Miroku looked at her. "She is a runaway slave," Inu-Yasha said. Miroku nodded.

Kagome almost laughed with relief. When Inu-Yasha said that he knew her master, she thought he was talking about her new, _evil_ one, who threatened to kill her if anyone found out who she was. Inu-Yasha only knew about the fat, nasty master. What luck! While Inu-Yasha knew virtually nothing about her, she now knew who Sesshomaru's main supporter was. She would be rich! Now, she just had to play along, and soon she wouldn't have any worries. She stood up and smoothed what little clothing she had.

"I…I understand completely. I will go along with your evil plan, because you threaten me with those terms. But know that I'm not happy about it." She finished her speech and glanced to see how he was taking it. Inu-Yasha was smirking, looking triumphant and satisfied, as if he knew that she would agree all along. That made her want to deny him, just to get the satisfaction of seeing him squirm once he saw his blackmail was _useless_, since she no longer worked for that fat man.

But she kept her anger inside, and settled for the fact that her silence would have its rewards when she told her boss his name, and he was beheaded for treason. She started to chuckle evilly, but stopped suddenly when she saw them looking at her quizzically. She hurried to cover her mistake. "Uh…I was just thinking that being the princess's translator would be the perfect opportunity to get messages to the king. But what about my appearance?"

Inu-Yasha frowned in thought. Before he could come up with an answer, Kagome snapped her fingers. "I know a man who lives in Nagoya who will fix me up for a price," she said, remembering the man that her current master told her to go. "That's lucky," Inu-Yasha mussed. "Nagoya is right where the princess's barge will stop before she heads to the palace to meet Sesshomaru. Say, who is this man that you trust so fully?" Kagome sighed.

"His name is Muso, and he was a friend of mine before he was freed and started his own shop. He will help me, if I pay him." Inu-Yasha nodded absently. He took a ring out of his inner robe and gave it to Kagome. "You will pay him with that ring. You don't know how much that ring means to me, or how passionate I am about my cause to be giving it away. Make sure that it goes straight to this man, and to no one else." Kagome nodded solemnly and tucked it inside her sash along with the blue triangle.

Inu-Yasha clapped his hands. "Now that we've gotten through all the unpleasantness, who wants cheese puffs, my treat?"

Kagome walked out onto the deck, leaving the two amigos alone with their beer and their 'manly stories'. She sighed, remembering the second personality that Inu-Yasha seemed to switch to after all of the dirty work was over. "_He would be a great politician: he's good looking and two faced. Not to mention his great acting depending on the crowd,_" she thought sarcastically.

Then she remembered her master's words to contact him as soon as she had any information. Looking out at the people on the pier, she shrugged harmlessly. "_What's one day? I'll just keep quiet for a little longer to get his whole plan and try to find more rebels, and then I'll cash in my check and head to one of those spa thingies! And then I'll go get clothes, and a house! I can't wait to be rich!_" Ignoring the little feeling of regret about her future betrayal of Inu- Yasha, she started planning her first real shopping spree.

* * *

A/N: So, whatcha think? Huh, huh, huh? TELL ME PLEASE! Review, I beg of you. About anything and everything, it could be totally random, it could even be about spelling mistakes! Okay, enough with the begging. (;p) See all ya'll in the next chappie! Bai! 


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